I'm Back!

It has been forever since I have blogged. What can I say - life happens. I have been very busy with family, work and fiber. I probably could have blogged but didn't. I did a lot of facebook posts instead. A bit easier when things are crazy busy.

But I am back. But I have a reason to be back. I am about to embark on an adventure. I hope it will be a fun adventure. Only time will tell. It starts tomorrow. I hope to capture as much of it as possible here on the blog so I can readily share with friends and family. It promises lots of pictures and hopefully some interesting writing.

Stay tuned.

Why I love Christmas

In the spirit of one of the greatest holiday movies of all times, A Christmas Story, I have decided to write A Theme. But instead of writing about what I want for Christmas, mine is about why I love Christmas. You see – I love Christmas. I love everything about Christmas. I love the tree, the music, the decorations inside and out, the giving and receiving of gifts, Santa, the reindeer and all the other trappings surrounding this festive holiday. Most of all I love the magic of Christmas and Santa Clause. See, I have a confession. I believe in Santa Clause. I believe with all my heart and soul that Santa exists and his purpose is to bring joy to children around the world. I don’t know if he really lives at the North Pole or has elves or flies in a sleigh with magic reindeer, but I know that Santa is real.

I consider myself very fortunate to still retain this magic and this belief. It has kept Christmas in perspective for me over the years. I am not religious so this is not about the birth of a child under a star in the dessert. However, I recognize and appreciate the magic that aspect of Christmas holds for many but I think it is for the same reason I find magic in Christmas. The baby Jesus story is about bringing hope, joy, love and peace to the world. This is Christmas. A time to sit back and enjoy hope, joy, love and peace. And maybe eat some pumpkin pie just as a topper.

So for me Christmas is magic because it has the ability to bring people together share for one day all those wonderful feelings of hope, joy, love and peace. I remember Christmas Eve as I was growing up – it was always a huge family event. Everyone would come to our house for dinner, games and, of course, a visit from Old St. Nick himself. I loved that visit. When I was very little it was so unbearably exciting to wait for Santa to come through the door with his bag of toys. As we got older we realized that Santa was a busy man so he usually got some help here from my dad but it didn’t lessen the joy of the moment. Now that I am a parent I am thrilled to watch my son anticipate the impending arrival of the jolly man in red. Yes, he is excited about receiving new toys but is that really all bad? When you think about it, he spends over a month anticipating and dreaming of Christmas morning. There is pure joy on his face – joy that is brought by the mere thought of this jolly elf. Again, I ask, is a few new toys really that much of a price to pay for a season of joy?

I am making sure to try to balance out his expectations to make my son realize its not about getting. Its about the magic. Every year we go out and buy toys for the Toys for Tots boxes. I make sure my son picks out toys and puts them in the box. At the same time we have long discussions about why these boxes are so important. I also have been conducting toy drives at work for local children in the DCF system. For two weeks my son has watched my come home from work every day with toys and presents. We talk about how these toys are going to go to children who might not otherwise get any toys on Christmas morning. Its about giving to others so that other children can have the same hope and joy.

I realize that this is why I believe in Santa. I believe in Santa enough to go out and ensure that there are toys for children. I realized that this is how Santa manages to get to all the children in one night. He has so many believers helping him out that all the children of the world who celebrate this holiday receive a visit from Santa or his helper. Santa is magic. Its not about changing the world, but about just one small moment on one day and bringing a smile to a child’s face.

My tree is up and decorated – it was such fun to sit and watch my son pick through the ornaments finding his favorites and hanging them on the tree. The train is under the tree. My son loves to run the train. The Elf on the Shelf has been making his nightly trip since Thanksgiving. The shopping is done. I didn’t go crazy and I have no reason to go to the mall. For now, I can just sit back and enjoy the season, watch all my favorite holiday movies, listen to Christmas music and watch my son experience the magic. This is why I love Christmas.

So its been a year

Ok - not quite a year since my last blog but, meh, its my blog right? I let it go mostly cause I was super busy and distracted with other things. Oh and not so good on the new years resolutions but we will revisit that at the official end of 2010.

High points so far this year - lots of travel - Hawaii, Arizona, Japan. Way too much time in Hawaii. I think it was five trips this year. So over that. Japan was fun - so much so that I may be seeing more of it in the near future.

So back to the mundane. Finally feeling human again - I spent a week in Japan for work and coming home I picked up some sort of bug - personally I am calling it a Japanese superbug - basically it was foreign to me and it hit me hard. I normally can take some cold drugs and work through almost any illness but not this one. No - this one was an on your back, in bed, lose all touch with reality cold. I swear I only vaguely remember this past week. I attempted to go in to work on one day but that only lasted a few hours - then back to bed. So the only problem with this - Japan is 13 hours ahead. So I came home adjusted to Japan time - then promptly got super sick and my body demanded sleep when it wanted it. So since I was so focused (or should I say lack of focus) on just giving my body what it needed to feel human again, I have not changed timezones. So now that I feel human again I apparently am still on Japan time. Yep - up all night. Today is going to really suck. But at least it will suck because I think I can finally force myself to stay awake to change my body clock instead of succumbing to the fog of the cold from hell.

On the plus side I did a lot of reading when I wasn't passed out, which was kind of nice. Not a lot of knitting because I couldn't manage much focus - but I did knock out a square for a blanket I am contributing to - simple garter stitch on size 3 needles - I could handle that - very mindless. Wow, can't believe I am thinking how big size 3 needles are :) actually it was the yarn that made the difference since this has been the year of lace. I have been making a lace shawl this year with laceweight - its like knitting with thread - but I have found I enjoy lace because it challenges the mind. But no lace this week. Too foggy in the head.

I want to see if I can get back to my blogging. Lots is about to happen - nothing I want to share until the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed - but it promises to give me some good blogging fodder if for nothing else than to preserve some pretty cool memories.

How about a picture to close it off?

This is a very rare picture - I actually had my friend take it of me which I almost never allow - I am a complete behind the camera kind of girl. But something about the wind and the cold and the fact that I love this new jacket made me feel like getting my picture taken. This is me on the Sea of Japan - it was my first time seeing it and I was seriously impressed. It was a chilly, windy day and the sea was temperamental but not too angry, but I can see where it probably gets fierce during the winter. It was an amazing site and I think I fell a little in love with it. I can't wait to see its many moods (ok - thats sort of a hint of things to come)

Happy New Year! Welcome 2010.

Happy New Year to all! In looking back, 2009 was a very busy year. I feel like I spent the year playing catch up! The year just flew by. But overall I think it was a good year. No major accomplishments that I can think of but at the same time, no major problems. It was a year filled with work, travel (for work), knitting, spinning, and reading. I also watched my son grow so much this year. He started kindergarten and has really developed in to his own little person. He is proving to be reasonably smart and very friendly. I am quite enjoying him right now, even if he is also developing that little bit of attitude that comes with discovering that he is a stand alone person capable of making decisions. Its quite funny at times but we have to keep on him to keep him balanced. But overall he is just a joyous little boy.

So 2010 is here. I have been thinking a lot about resolutions, cause it is that time after all. I realize people have different opinions on resolutions but I kind of like the idea of setting a goal and measuring myself against my goal. Sometimes I make it, sometimes I don't. Last year I wanted to read 52 books in the year. I am not sure if I made it or not because I stopped counting midway through the year. I think I came close. I tend to read a lot. This year I am also going to set some goals and one of them is to do a better job tracking my results. So check back this time next year to see how I do.

So for 2010 I have the following goals:

1. Give up chocolate - I love chocolate way too much. Its time to take a break. I have done this before so I know I can do it again. But if I am cranky for a few weeks, just remember its the chocolate speaking.

2. Spin every day - even if only for a few minutes. I really want to take my spinning to the next level and learn how to make the yarn I want. I need practice to get there. The only time this might be a problem is when I am traveling. If I can take a spindle I will but otherwise I will give myself a grace period when I travel.

3. Walk on the treadmill every day - again even if only for a few minutes. I need to get back in the habit of exercise and I need to make my treadmill more than just a piece of furniture. The minimum each day will be 10 minutes. Again, when I travel this could be a problem. Most of the hotels I stay at have gyms or I can go outside but in the event that neither is an option (no gym and not safe to walk alone outside) I will get a pass ... but only if I have no choice. And I have to document why. Oh - this one also gets a pass if by chance I get sick because this goal is about getting healthier and taking care of my body. But again - document!!!

4. Read 52 books - I figure I will try this again but do better at tracking. With my Kindle I can at least add a note on each book of what day I started and finished the book. Maybe that will help.

OK - so those are my "must do" goals. I am committed to these and feel that these are "doable".

I also have some "like to do" goals. If I can manage these I will be happy, but if I have to drop something these will be able to go.

1. Knit a mini sock a week. This would get me a good stash of mini-socks for the holidays next year. I can hang them on the tree and give them away as decorations.

2. Knit a log cabin square a month to make progress on my blanket.

3. Complete all my current WIPs. Right now in Ravelry I have 10 WIPs: Fluke, Handspun Hat, Domus Aurea, Twilight Scarf, Log Cabin Blanket, Flying Swirl, Fancy Mitts, Mini Firestarters, Forest Canopy and Luce Scarf.

4. Complete the Girasole Project - this is a big endeavor. I want to spin, dye and then knit the Girasole blanket. Not only is this a lot of yarn but I want to spin it woolen (which I am not so good at yet) and to a specific size. This will take lots of practice before I can spin the final product.

Hmmmm - I think that is enough! At least for this year. Lets see how I do. At least I am starting with the right intentions - I have taken the first step, hopefully the rest will follow.

The Girasole Project

Yep - I have been a bad blogger. Its been a very busy time. Lots of work, trying to find time to knit, not much else happening. So that's the past several months in a nutshell.

That said, I have a new project in mind that I figure I can track here on the blog. I fell in love with Girasole, a wonderful pattern by Jared Flood, aka BrooklynTweed, who is a brilliant designer with an amazing eye for pattern and color. I want to make the blanket version and I am already envisioning curling up with it in front of the fire. I would best describe this pattern as a cheerful yet elegant piece with the sunflower pattern bringing summer indoors year round.

I have had the privilege of seeing the pattern in progress and know it is going to be a serious commitment piece. As the rounds get larger it can take 45 minutes or more to complete a single round. This is not a fast piece but the results seem well worth it. Since I am going to essentially marry this piece for quite some time I have decided that this is going to become my own personal show piece, an heirloom item I can pass on to the grandchild I hope my son will someday provide (since he is five now I have plenty of time to finish). To that end I have also decided to go whole hog and make this a sheep to blanket piece. Yes, I intend to spin the 1800 yards this pattern requires. I still have plenty of Cormo left from the two fleece I bought a couple years ago. All I need to do is finish cleaning it and spin it up! Sounds easy ~ right? OK maybe not quite that easy.

I consider myself an advanced beginner spinner. I have mastered the intuitive spin and I can spin a fairly even yarn. I just upgraded from my Babe to an Ashford Traditional and have noticed a significant difference in my ability to control my yarn. The Babe is an excellent starter wheel and I intend to use it to teach my son to spin, but I found myself wanting "more" ~control, speed, flexibility. I have had my Ashford for a couple months now and easily see the difference. To make this blanket, though, I need to produce a predictable, repeatable yarn that has the characteristics I desire. This means taking my spinning beyond intuitive to intentional. I think I am ready. More important, I am patient. I have given myself all winter to spin the yarn and plan on knitting come Spring. I expect this blanket to be complete before next winter. I think that's manageable.

I have decided its time to put some of my skills in place to get to my goal. As a quality professional, I understand the value of a repeatable process to get a predictable outcome. I know this starts with understanding the end ~ ie clearing documenting my requirements. Then breaking down all the steps and identifying my learning gaps to enable me to meet my requirements. The requirements are going to drive every decision I make in this project. Do I want a warm fluffy blanket or a light blanket that shows off the pattern? Until I decide this I can't select the type of yarn I want to spin. So the first thing I need to do is look at the completed projects on Ravelry and maybe talk to some other knitters for information.

As a quality professional I am also exposed to quite a bit of project management as a control tool. So I will also set a project plan to plan and track my progress. This is going to be an interesting project on many levels - not only to make a beautiful piece of art, but to see how to incorporate my many passions (quality, knitting, spinning, dying, planning) to create this project.

PhatFiber Fair Box Rocks!

Its been a busy summer. I will blog about it later but for now I want to share the awesome box I got from PhatFiber. 

"Phat Fiber is a mystery box of awesome samples for the yarn and fiber enthusiast in us all. With a focus on the independant artisan, this box is a super grass-roots treat for the senses. " That's from the PhatFiber website.

So, to get the box you have to be lucky and quick! She only puts a few up and they go up on a specific day at specific times. We get an email alerting us to when the boxes go up. Then you go in to etsy and see if you can snag a box. This is the first time I have actually gotten a box and let me say it was worth it. 

This month the theme was "At the Fair" so everything had was related to something you might find at a summer fair. I got lots of yarn samples in fair colors, and fiber samples that were fair related - my favorite was the fibery goodness packed up as a snowcone. There were also some patterns and stitch markers - including an adorable watermelon stitch marker. I can't wait to try it all out and then visit some of the wonderful folks who create all these goodies and get more. Most of all, I love this way of getting introduced to new independents and finding more wonderful small fibery goodness sellers to support. 

I'm Back and Still Wondering What Happened to Summer

So I know I have been remiss in my blogging but with good reason. I have been busy. You know - work and stuff. After I returned from Hawaii we decided to send DH and the young one to San Diego to visit Grandma and Grandpa and take care of a few things with the house we still own out there. So off they went for three weeks, which left me with plenty of free time to catch up on housecleaning and maybe play a bit. Or so I thought. First of all about a week into their trip I get "the phone call" - you know the one every mom doesn't want to get. "Hi Honey, we are headed to urgent care, but don't worry its not too serious". Sigh. Well, at least relatively speaking it wasn't too serious - just a broken arm. Sigh. But young one took it like a trooper and it really didn't phase him once he was casted. Oh the resiliency of children. Then it was my turn making the call. "Hi Honey, do you mind if I am not here to pick you up from the airport?" I got pulled on to last minute travel to Israel of all places. So while they were coming back from San Diego, I was headed off around the world. It was a quick trip but I did get to spend some time at the Dead Sea (wow - they really do mean you float) and visited the Masada. I even got some knitting in and took my Loopy Ewe postcard for some shots of Loopy at the lowest place on earth. What was most ironic was I was knitting on a skein of Noro making a log cabin square and the aqua color in the Noro matched the Dead Sea. I will always think of that trip when I look at this square. The only other observation about the trip is that I now understand the color "Mediterranean Blue". When we flew in to Tel Aviv I was looking out the window and the Mediterranean is the most amazing blue. I have never seen that color - it was truly breathtaking. I wish I could go spend more time on the Mediterranean Sea. 

So now we are all back in the same time zone and hoping to keep it that way for awhile.

Now - onto some more good stuff. I got my package in the mail from my Saucy Swap partner, Ponyknits. It was wonderful.

Isn't it just chock full of goodies? The yarn is so pretty - it is Queensland Collection Rustic Tweed. It is a mix of Wool, Alpaca and Donegal - yes it has actual tweed flecks in there. It is so soft and so pretty.  I have to decide on socks or scarf. I kind of think this wants to be a scarf to show off the tweed. Its that pretty. Then there is the yummy Hersheys - which are actually one of my favorite guilty pleasures. Ok - I like all the Godiva, See's, etc in the more designer chocolate world, but honestly I really appreciate good old Hershey's - its got a melt in your mouth appeal that I really like. And it is perfect snack size. Then there is a bag of peanuts which my son immediately wanted to open. I can't wait to try the mustard - it is Old Cape Cod Sweet and Hot Honey Mustard - I need to go get some pretzels! Yum! And the hot sauce if Franks extra hot! I am thinking Nachos or maybe on a Baked potato. It will be enjoyed. There is also some magnetic notepads (which I love because I use these all the time) and some cute notecards. Finally, there is the coolest knitting notion - a BrySpun Fix It - its a #8 needle on one end and a H crochet hook on the other. Perfect for dropped stitches. I am tickled with this! Ponyknits did a wonderful job spoiling me!

Now I am going to go knit some and maybe stare at my pretty yarn some more! Its nice to be back - but seriously? Its still freaking raining here. This is the longest winter ever. Oh yeah  - its almost August. 

Can Someone Please Call Summer and Ask it to Please Come Back

Ok - can we all please take a moment and look at the calendar.  Yep - that's what I thought - it still says July. As in summer, like Fourth of July, BBQ, picnics, fireworks, sunscreen, sunglasses. Lets see - what do all these things have in common? That's right - outside, sunshine and warm weather. 

Ok - then can someone please explain to my why I actually:

A) Put on wool socks

B) Pulled out my winter sweater and put it on

C) Turned on the heat

What is wrong with this picture? Its July folks! I should be dreaming of knitting with cashmere not actually wearing it!

Summer - please come. We really miss you in New England. 

Im still here!

Yes - I am still here but I seem to be suffering from the same syndrome as many others - busy! I still can't believe I ended spending close to a month and a half in Hawaii which really was crazy - you work long hours virtually round the clock sometimes, then when you aren't working at site you are trying to keep up with the home office and maybe, just maybe, find time for sleep. I did enjoy it though. I really love my job. I am lucky that way. And I did get to have a little bit of fun - aside from getting to go out to dinner with a bunch of different people that I work with and getting to know them off hours, I was also able to escape for one day and go on  the volcano tour. We also went to a luau but that was kind of tempered by the fact that I had to go from the luau to work again. 

One of the fun parts was hooker atm. Honolulu has its fair share of working ladies. Now personally I see nothing wrong with that line of work. I say if you can make money at it - go for it. I am not going to sit in judgement. But what was fun was watching these ladies work. There is one ATM and there are several girls who stand right outside the ATM. I think that is brilliant marketing. I was there long enough to recognize the girls who worked that location. I even gave them names and backstories. Jamie and Barbie. Jamie always wore jeans - I wondered if that was a management uniform. But what was sad was that I never saw any of the girls get a customer. I think the economy is hitting everyone. I have to wonder how much these girls make because from what I saw, its a lot of work standing there for hours on end in those heels (I think its a law or something to wear plastic see through platform heels) and not getting any takers. It must be profitable because there were sure lots of girls. I hope so - if you are going to go into this line of work I would want to make good cash. Anyways - what became fun is that was the landmark we used - we would meet at hooker ATM. Its funny how many people knew exactly what we were talking about. Ok - so seriously - we were working that hard that our entertainment in Honolulu was watching the hookers. Sad but true. 

But now I am back and slowly getting back in to things. I came back with my usual bronchitis and spent a couple weeks recovering. Feeling better now and glad to be back to a semi normal routine. I have some yummy yarns waiting for me and my spinning wheel is calling. Nice to be home!

Home!!!!

It feels so freaking good to be home and sitting around doing absolutely nothing! Three weeks is a long time to be away for work. Yeah, its Hawaii but while I am there it is all work all the time. Even when we are not working it is still everyone from work so of course we discuss work. Its very tiring all around. And I get to go back in a week for two more weeks of this kind of fun. My life is so glam. 

So this trip was all about sushi though. I ended up eating more sushi than I think I have in my life. We ended up at several places that have the conveyor belt running around the room and you pick what you want off the belt. Not only yummy but fun. We also hit a grill your own place where you have a small grill at your table - ok - not sushi, but we did eat some seared tuna. I have to say that the seafood is one of the best parts of being in Hawaii. Other than that it was work work work - and the site was so unglam - no running water, no power and hot as can be!

Well, at least I am home with my family and oh so happy!

Finally .... Spring

Its finally starting to get nice outside. Today we have green grass and the daffodils are poking through the ground. Its a huge relief to have this winter behind us..we hope. The big boats at the dealership are still shrink wrapped though so we are still cautious. But at least we can go outside for now without a jacket. 

My brain is all things spring. I am spending my spare time watching Lambcam over at the fiber farm. The goats are due to drop babies anytime. We have all been watching for the past week anxiously waiting out baby goats. I love being a part of the fiber farm. I also got my first share this week. In the mail I got a box full of yummy Marthas Vineyard Fiber Farm fiber - right off these very goats I am watching on lambcam.  Check out this pile of fibery goodness.

The big pile of white is the MVFF fiber - its a Cormo/Mohair mix fresh from the farm. I got 12 ounces of this yummy softness.  There is also a smaller batch of white which came from another farm and was included as a bonus, but the super surprise was the brown wool. There was four ounces of the surprise brown which also came from a neighboring farm but it is the richest chocolate color I have ever seen in fiber. Stunning is all I can say. I cannot wait to spin it up and keep it in its natural color state. I think it would make a stunning contrast color for some fair isle work, possibly in mittens or a hat or a scarf. 

This is a close up of it all. The chocolatey color really doesn't come through very well. You just have to believe me that it is so beautiful. I hope to start spinning this in the next week or two. Right now I have some Sereknity merino roving on my wheel, in Pomegranite colorway. Its a pretty blend of pink, orange, purple and burgandy. Its going to make some lovely sock yarn. Its been so long since I have spun with prepared roving that I forgot how quick and easy it spins up. 

Blah

Its a total Blah day. I think I am just tired. That and it is only 40 degrees outside. Can someone please tell the weather that it is Spring???? Honestly - I cannot wait until I can wear sandals, short sleeves and not spend my day huddled under a blanker. Blah.

So I had to travel this past week -just a couple days to Florida. Wish it could have been longer because it was at least warm there but I needed to be back at work. So it has been a very busy week and I am tired. Again - more Blah. 

So today I am calling in my "day off" card. I am just hanging. I want to sleep but DH went to a movie and the young one is being active. Blah.  So I decided to sign up for twitter. Hmm - we will see if I can at least come up with any interesting tweets. 

Blah. 

Sigh. 

All that in a tiny envelope!

I absolutely love this swap idea! You have one 4x9 inch envelope, five dollars and all the creativity you can muster and send it on its way. 

I got my envelope today from Finland. First of all, I have been following my spoiler's blog and am super impressed that she did this with a little baby just home from the hospital. Sleep will come again some day I promise!

So here it is - what was amazing was I tore into the envelope and it practically exploded!

My spoiler, Hisch,  must have stuffed everything in and forced it shut!

And lookee at all the wonders inside. The card - isn't it beautiful! I love the image - contained a note from Hisch telling me all about my goodies. There is chocolate (that is dessert tonight) and tea (tomorrows pleasure) including Raspberry, Mango and Peach tea, Basil seeds - my husband has claimed those already for the garden - some lovely yarns which I will make into mini socks, some buttons/beads - I should have taken a better picture because these are lovely - I love the bluebird buttons - and a crocheted angle made locally in Finland.  And the best part was the gift card. 

And turning it over you get this: 

It says  "This gift card is good for: 1 Day off from housework - can be used whenever wanted"

I love it! And plan to use it this weekend. 

At first I thought I could use it then pass it on to someone else, but instead I think I am going to use it, then put it in my dayplanner at work to remind me to take time off now and again. But I will send another one along in my next swap. I think we all need reminders to take time for ourselves. I have to say, of everything in my package - and I loved it all - this little tidbit is the best. Hisch gave me a very precious and priceless gift reminding me to enjoy life. 

Thank you Hisch - and to Cinnamoon on Ravelry for organizing this wonderful swap. In today's economy its nice to remember that you don't need a lot of money to share a little touch of happiness.

How could I ever live with out it?

Ok - so I have to go on about one of my all time favorite products that I have grown to love even more over the past few days. This would be my iPhone.
I love it. I cannot imaging how I ever lived without it.
This is actually my second iPhone. I got a first gen, then when the 3G came out, I gave hubby the first gen and got mysefl a 3G.
At first, I just wanted to internet features. In fact, I tried to talk to Verizon about what would be comparable that would give me full internet access. I was finishing grad school online and really wanted to be able to have full access to email and school wherever I went. Verizon got a bit snarky with me though. In fact, the final straw was when I attempted to find an option with Verizon and explained my needs, the sales guy actually said to me "You just want an iPhone" and walked away. Yep - left me standing in the middle of his store, turned his back on me and walked away. Ok - off to AT&T. But I digress.
So now I have my iPhone 3G and why do I love it? Aside from the internet and email the App Store has turned it into something useful into a near instantaneous problem solver.
For example, the other night it was late and I couldn't sleep. I needed a book to read to distract me but I didn't have anything unread around the house that fit the bill. I started surfing the net instead and lusting after the Kindle on Amazon thinking if I had a Kindle I would never be in this position again. That was when I noticed this little sidebar that said Kindle for the iPhone. Could it really be? I clicked the button and sure enough - there is a Kindle app for the iPhone and you can get books sent to your iPhone just like a Kindle - but without the Kindle. And the app was Free! So I downloaded it, went over to Amazon, bought myself a book ("Outlander" by the way) and voila! I was off and reading a new book on my iPhone. Unbelievable!
Another example - yesterday we decided to take a road trip to Maine for some outlet shopping. I brought my latest knitting project and as we were getting on the road I realized I had forgotten a measuring tape. While hubby offered to turn around I declined and instead picked up my iPhone, went to the App Store and within seconds I had a ruler on my phone. Show me another phone that does that!
And this was just in the past week. I could go on about the many uses I have for my phone. My son loves it for games but we also have an app that teaches reading so that when we have spare time, such as waiting in restaurants, we practice reading. I am sure as he grows so will the variety of apps on my phone grow to use for teaching opportunities. Then there is the gym - at the gym I can listen to the radio (I have downloaded an app that allows me to listen to radio stations all over the country, including my favorite San Diego morning show), I can catch up on tv (if you have a Tivo, you can pull your shows off tv to your Mac, "toast" them and load them on to your iPhone. I can get movies via iTunes. And I can read my Kindle books. Or I can play games. Or music. So I won't be board on the treadmill at the gym. Then when its time for weights, I have a program to track my weight training. Ok - I can go on and on. Have I mentioned the GPS? I helped direct my cab driver in NYC thanks to my GPS.
I think you get the picture here - but I just had to post to say this is one product that is simply life enhancing. In today's economy its nice to find something that works, works well and has such diverse application.

Day 2

March 2 - got up and did Wii Fit for 20 minutes before even having coffee. Scary
Also - the young one is insisting on being naked all morning. The life of a five year old.

March Madness

Ok - new challenge. My personal March Madness - can I do 31 days of Wii Fit?
So - I have the Wii Fit but found excuses not to use it - so lets see if I can commit to it every day for one month.
The only problem I might face - travel. If I have to travel, then I will commit to walking that day or some other equivalent.
Here goes March Madness!

Getting to know you

Got this in the mail -thought it would be more fun to blog!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
4:30 am - Hey - its the only quiet time I get
2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
Hotel for Dogs - and I enjoyed it
4. What is your favorite TV show?
LOST
5. What do you usually have for breakfast?
Yogurt with walnuts
6. What is your middle name?
Kay
7. What food do you dislike?
Broccoli
8. What is your favorite CD?
Hmmm - dont really have a favorite
9. What kind of car do you drive?
Subaru Forester
10. Favorite sandwich?
Grilled Cheese
11. What characteristic do you despise?
Contempt
12. Favorite item of clothing?
My jeans
13. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go?
Hawaii or Australia - but honestly I just love traveling
14. Favorite brand of clothing
Does shoes count? If so - Prada
15. Where would you retire to?
Hawaii
16. What was your most recent memorable birthday?
Two years ago when I had a princess themed birthday
17. Favorite sport to watch?
Marathons
18. Furthest place you are sending this?
No idea
19. Person you expect to send it back first?
Well since I am blogging this doesnt really apply
20. When is your birthday?
Shhhhhh
21. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Morning all the way
22. What is your shoe size?
9
23. Pets?
One obnoxious little weiner dog - but we love him
24. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us?
None really
25. What did you want to be when you were little?
A doctor or a teacher
26. How are you today?
Can't complain - I have family, friends, yarn, a job I love and a good outlook on life
27. What is your favorite candy?
See's Candy
28. What is your favorite flower?
Lilac or Lavender
29. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to?
March 17th - I get to go to visit Cape Canaveral
30. What is your favorite pastime?
Besides family, knitting and spinning
31. What are you listening to right now?
My son make siren noises
32. What was the last thing you ate
A grilled cheese sandwiches
33. Do you wish on stars?
Yep
34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be?
I hate to limit myself to a single color
35. How is the weather right now?
Cold, we are expecting 4 inches of snow tomorrow
36. The first person you spoke to on the phone today?
No one
37. Favorite soft drink?
Dont drink them much but lately on a Root Beer kick
38. Favorite restaurant?
Right now it would be Spanky's the new wings place we just discovered -yumm PB&J wings
39. Real hair color?
Mouse Brown
40. What was your favorite toy as a child?
The avocado green kitchen set my dad made us, and Barbie
41. Summer or winter?
Summer
42. Hugs or kisses?
Both
43. Chocolate or Vanilla?
Chocolate
44. Coffee or tea?
Coffee Coffee Coffeee
45. Do you want your friends to email you back?
Sure why not! Also would love to see it on other blogs
46. When was the last time you cried?
Probably not too long ago but dont remember exactly
47. What is under your bed?
books, hot wheels and a container holding my gym clothes
48. What did you do last night?
We went to the movies and saw Hotel For Dogs while having dinner.
49. What are you afraid of?
Not doing my best at work
50. Salty or sweet?
Sweet, then salty
51. How many keys on your key ring?
3
52. How many years at your current job?
3 years
53. Favorite day of the week?
Saturday
54. How many towns have you lived in?
San Diego, CA
Lakeside, CA
La Mesa, CA
El Cajon, CA
Brattleboro, Vermont
Marlboro, Vermont
Vermont South, Victoria, Australia
Methuen, MA
55. Do you make friends easily?
No - I am shy at first.
56. How many people will you send this to?
Putting it on the blog
57. How many will respond?
Who cares, it was fun filling it out!

Thanks Pam! This was fun

Australian Bushfires

As I have mentioned, I learned to knit when I was 15 for a role in a school play. While my acting career thus ended, my knitting took off. What I really haven't talked about is who taught me to knit and where I was at this time in my life.

When I was 15 I had the opportunity to be a high school exchange student. I lived for a year with a wonderful family in Melbourne, Australia. It was an amazing experience that changed my life and influenced how I see the world. I believe it made me a much more tolerant, open minded person with better ability to adapt to situations. Anyways, while living in Australia one of my classes was drama and we performed "A Doll's House" and I played a character that had to knit onstage. My host mother taught me how to knit and I made this truly awful "thing" that barely resembled something knit but worked for the stage. But from there something clicked and my next project was a sweater that turned out perfect. I may not have this enjoyable hobby now if it hadn't been for my time in Australia.

Now I am watching the news and watching the beautiful state of Victoria under bushfire seige. I have communicated with my host sister and found out all are safe in my family but others are not so lucky. Having been through the fires in San Diego in 2003 I can understand the devastation. Its also hard to be so far away and not be able to do much to help. But I know there is one thing I can do and that is donate to the Australian Red Cross Victorian Bushfire fund. This will then help the victims of the fire restart their lives. Just click the link and donate.  Its that simple. I did. Then if you are a fiberholic like me go visit Serendipity's blog and read about the raffle she has going to raise money for the bushfires. You just forward her your receipt from donating and you will be entered in the raffle. The prizes are getting crazy good including lots of Wollmeise and even the not yet released new Yarnissima pattern. I love what Serendipity is doing to bring more awareness to the need for funds to help Australia. Its also heartwarming to watch what happens when crafters come together for a cause. Fiber seems to make for nice people. Even if you are not a fiberholic consider $5 or $10 towards this cause. At the current exchange rate you can donate $10 australian for about the price of a fast food lunch. Isn't that worth it? 

Bad Blogger

Yes I have been a bad blogger. Its just been so very busy! My new job (well, same company just a promotion so new responsibilities) is taking up a lot of my time. I have a lot to learn to be up to speed so it has taken more hours in the office than I would like somedays but I know it will settle down once I get my rhythm. I am so glad today is a Friday. Its technically my day off but I have to catch up on a training class that I have to get done. At least I can do it from home. 

I have also been taking advantage of the cold weather to get some knitting done. I come home from work and we stay inside so I can knit. I finished my La Digetessa finally - the color definitely competes with the pattern but I still like them alot. Very bright and fun. So the best part is that as I was finishing my son asked for a pair of socks. So off I went to Ravelry and then the LYS to find a nice toe up boy pattern because after knitting La Digetessa I much prefer the look of a toe up pattern. Did I find one? Of course not. I was shocked. There were very few boy socks and none were toe up. So what does a resourceful mom do? Yep - I made one up. I have one sock done and the pattern is roughly written down. 

I am going to knit the second to test the pattern, then pretty it up and probably put it out on Ravelry. I am thinking I want to give it some size options first. But I see a nice little niche here in the knitting world. And I have a happy little boy - he loves the first sock and wants the mate finished. I should have that done this weekend. Then he wants his hat - I promised him a Fake Isle made with the glow in the dark yarn - so that gets cast on next. 

I have a really cute picture of the young one so I am posting it here - oh and a pic of La Digetessa. Told you they were bright! 

Happy Sunday

So it was an exciting week. 

First of all - did everybody hear it on Tuesday - the collective sigh of relief as we said goodbye to W. and the sound of hope as we watched the historical inauguration of President Obama. It was a good moment. I thought for a long while about what to tell my son about why this was such a historic moment, but finally decided to leave it at we are electing a new president. At this point in time he doesn't know racism. He just sees people - skin color is irrelevant to him. I love that! So I decided not to make it something he is aware of - he will learn soon enough but for now I want to keep him in a world where people are people. I hope that makes sense. At least we are one step closer now. 

Closer to the home front we celebrated the Young Ones fifth birthday with his friends. We had 8 kids ranging from 2-6 running through the house on one of the coldest days. Fortunately we were prepared for it and had a great time. The kids are all from the neighborhood and get along great. It ended up being a lot of fun and very low key. Next weekend we are taking him to Coco Key water park for his last birthday request. The lucky kid gets to celebrate his birthday all month!

Finally, its been very busy and hectic at work as I learn my new job but I am getting there. I had to make a presentation to the customer with a migraine - how I did it I don't know but I did it. Granted I was in the bath throwing up before and after but I made it through the presentation. Thank goodness I got to play the "Im still learning" card. But I have been able to make it home at a fairly reasonable hour every night and get in some knitting. I finished my first Digetessa sock and am started on the second. I also knocked out a hat for Hubby. 

Finally, sign ups started for HSKS7 this week. I decided to bow out gracefully this term. After contemplating things I decided that with my new job I just don't have the bandwidth to give my all to the swap. I also know I have to travel during the term. So to be fair to everyone, including myself, I am taking a term off. Hopefully next time I can join in again. Its a wonderful swap, I highly recommend it, but it takes commitment. I think I am making a good decision but I will miss the fun. :)